Method of and means for controlling electric apparatus



Nov. 23, 1937. E. c. TOUCEDA METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLINGELECTRIC APPARATUS Filed July 30, 1932 2 SheetsSheet 1 FIG.

lNyENTQR ENRIQUE G TOUCEDA,

ATTORNEY Nov. 23, 1937. E. G. TOUCEDA 2,099,764.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRIC APPARATUS Filed July 30,1932 g h ets-sheet 2 A; \L Q F 0 INVENTOR ENRIQUE G. Toucem .BYW

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 23, 1937 barren \STATES PATENT- OFFICE METHOD OFAND MEANS FOB CONTROL- LING ELECTRIC APPARATUS 1 Enrique G. Touceda,Albany. N. Y. 1

Application July so, 1932, Serial No. 626,863 1's Claims. (Cl. 250-415)My invention relates to the method of and to the means for controllingelectrical apparatus through the medium of a plurality of beams orstreams of electrical waves or material, such as heat, light, electronsand the like, and one of the objects of the invention is to efiectivelyfix an arbitrary region in space through the medium of such beams and tocause said apparatus to operate when an object such as a person, ananimal, ship or the like arrives at, passes through or leaves suchlocality, as, for example, by having the beams cross each other withinsaid region and then diverge and impinge upon beam responsive means,through the medium of which latter the said electrical apparatus iscontrolled, or by having said beams converge and approach to a minimumdistance within said region, di-

verge and then impinge upon the said beam responsive means, which beamsmay in either case be intercepted simultaneously-in said region by saidobject and said apparatus consequently operated or the beams allowed toagain impinge upon said means and said apparatus again operated.

The foregoing and other objects of our invention will be understoodin-detail from the following description of the principles and methodsinvolved, of the elements of said means, and of their arrangements andmodes of operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of one form of apparatus of theinvention.

Figs. 2 through 5 are similar representations of other forms ofapparatus and circuits of the invention. Figs. 6 through 10 represent apair of separate beams, the axes of which converge toward and passthrough the region represented by the circle in Fig. 8, but do notintersect as in the other figures.

Referring in detail to Fig. 1, the apparatus comprises a thermionic tubehaving the usual filament 2, grid3 and plate 4, all being located withina sealed container. I provide the usual filament battery A, the platebattery B in the output circuit, and the biasing batteries C and D forthe grid in the input circuit. In the output circuit I also provide anelectric device 5 such 50 as an electromagnet or relay.

In the input circuit I provide a photo-electric cell 6 in series withthe battery C and the potentiometer 8. As indicated, the cell and thebattery C are shunted by the resistance 7. In

battery D is impressed upon the grid by way of means comprising a mirroror other suitable reflecting means ll, adapted to reflect radiant energy(such as light) in the form of a stream or streams or in the form of abeam or beams (two beams l2 and I3 are indicated in Fig. 1) from anysuitable source, as for example, from electric lamps 9 and I0 (which aremerelyindicative) in such manner as to cause such streams and beams toconverge and approach nearest each other within the region (which I willassume for convenience to be spherical) or even intersect within saidregion, as indicated in Fig. 1, and in either case to impinge, beyond,upon the photo-electric cell 6. As indicated in Fig. 1, said 15 beamsoriginate in or come from widely separated localities, such asrepresented by the lamps 9 and Ill, and converge upon a comparativelysmall region. Under conditions when the beams are not functioning anegative potential from 20 the resistance I. Therefore the device 5inthe output circuit is not energized; but when the lamps or othersources are turned on, the beams or streams are projected upon the cell6, as indicated in Fig. 1, whereupon the positive potential of battery 0is applied to the grid and the device 5 becomes energized. The device 5may be any suitable electric signalling means, such as a bell or abuzzer or a lamp, or it may be a re- 0 lay or other form ofelectromagnet for operating some auxiliary mechanism or apparatus. Forexample, the device 5 may be a relay which, when the beams are projectedupon the cell 6, remains energized and prevents the operation '3 of agiven signal, such as a light, a buzzer or a bell, and when the beamsare removed from the cell, becomes de-energized, allowing the operationof the signal.

Or the relay may be used to automatically fire 40 a gun previouslytrained upon the region X as a target, when an object arrives at thatpoint and intercepts both beams. Or the gun may be fired by someone uponreceiving a signal actuated by the relay as a result of the interceptionof both beams.

Or a mine, for example, located in a channel, may be set off in the sameway when an object such as a submarine arrives at a point or localitydesignated by the intersection of the beams, and upon so doingintercepts both beams simultaneously.

Also the device may be used, for example, to operate a counter forcounting theatre patrons as 5 they enter a theatre, or for countingvehicles passing along one side a road.

In any oi the cases mentioned in which the invention may be used, if theobject passes outside the small region upon which the beams converge,the object may intercept one of the beams but not both. This will notcause the operation 01' the device 5, since the other beam will continueto maintain the cell 8 energized. For example it the submarine passes toone side of the region x it will only intercept one beam at atime andthe mine will not be set ofl. The invention may be used for counting thenumber of patrons entering a theatre by arranging the beams so that theregion where they cross, corresponding to region X, is on the entranceside. Each time a person passes through said region the counter,controlled by the electric device 5, is operated, whereas personsleaving the theatre and crossing the beams along the exit side willintercept only one beam at a time and therefore the counter will not beoperated. The same means may be used for counting vehicles that pass agiven region corresponding to region x, as, for example, the vehicles ina north and south highway that pass in one direction,--north, we willsay-on the east side of. the highway. The region X, if located on theeast side of the lughway, will operate the cell which can be made tooperate a counter. The

vehicles on the west side or the highway will not :ome within the regionX and will not operate the device. But as soon as the person or objectreaches the region X both beams will be inter- :epted simultaneously,thus causing the cell 8 2o become de-energized and causing in turn theie-energization of the device 5, which lie-energiz- .ng operation may beused to in turn cause, iirectly or indirectly, the counter to register,the nineto be set oil or the gun to be fired.

I have found that if an attempt is made to use l single beam to operate,for example, a counter for counting theatre patrons, the passage of aJatron may cause the counter to register more ;han once, due to one ormore interruptions of the )eam, one interruption being caused forexample my the passage of the body of the person and anther by aprevious or subsequent interruption of he beam by members of the bodysuch as the arms, by parts of the wearing apparel, or by aricles carriedby the individual.

Applicants invention is free from any such obection inasmuch as suchinterference by the arms tl'ld the like can only affect one beam at atime ind the counter will not function unless all of he beams areintercepted at the same time.

Referring to Fig, 2 it will be seen that the de- "lce of this figurediflers from that of Fig. 1 only n the provision of two photo-electriccells I4 and 5, which are connected in multiple as indicated. Vith thismodification oi. the invention each beam say be projected directly upona corresponding ell as indicated, making it possible to dispense riththe reflector ll of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 diflfers from Fig. 1 first, in that it has no lementcorresponding to the resistance 1 nor any lement corresponding to thepotentiometer 8 econd in theuse of three beams, 9, l0 and I l, astead01' two, and in the use of two reflectors 2 and i3 instead of only one.With this form f apparatus the three beams must be interruptdsimultaneously, and the interruption of two 'ill not suffice to operatethe device 5d.

Fig. 3 differs from Fig. l in that the resistance 4 which corresponds toresistance 1 in Fig. 1 is shunted by two branches instead of one, each.

having a photo-electric cell and a biasing battery. For example, onebranch in Fig. 3 has a photoelectric cell i! in series with the biasingbattery E, and the other branch has a photo-electric cell it in serieswith the biasing battery I".

Fig. 4 diflers from Fig, 5 first, in that a potentiometer l1, similar tothat of Fig. 1, is substituted for the biasing battery G, correspondingto battery C of Fig. 1, second in the provision oi 1 a plurality ofphoto-electric cells l8, l9 and 20 connected in multiple, instead of asingle cell'in Fig. 5, and third, in the ab'sence'ot all reflectors.

By using the three cells l8, l9 and 20 three beams 2!, 22 and 23, eachimpinging upon a separate cell, may be used, which beams originate inthe lamps or projectors 24, 25 and 26. It desired, however, the numberof photo-electric cells may be increased and the number of beamsintersecting at the point Y, assumed to be spherical, correspondinglyvaried. As in the other .forms of devices, all the beams must beintercepted simultaneously to operate the device 50. While I have shownthe beams in the drawings as intersecting in the regions x or Y, thisarrangement may be varied. Forexample, it is not necessary in everyinstance that the beams shall 'meet. For certain purposes it isdesirable that although the axes of the beams, such as the axes n and oof beams N and 0, Fig. 6, converge toward the region R for example,Figs. 6 through 8,

that each beam may have its axis in a different plane, for example, theaxis 12. in plane N, and the axis b in plane 0', the planes beingparallel and separated by some arbitrary distance P, Fig. 8, whereby anobject having a cross section equal to that 01 said region may interceptboth beams and cause the operation of said device from within saidregion and from nowhere else, and whereby any object having a smallercross-section is prevented from operating the device. In this form ofthe invention the beams cross a line perpendicular to both planes, suchas line P, which line is located in the specified region represented bythe circle in said figure. In Fig. 9 the crosssection of beam 0, takenon line 99, is shown, and in Fig. 10, that of beam N, on line Ill-l0.

With the circuit arrangement of Figs. 1 through 3, the devices 5, 5a and5b become energized when the beams are cut oil from the photo-electriccells, but with the circuit arrangement of Figs. 4 and 5, the devices 5cand 5d become energized when the beams strike the photo-electric cells.

It will be understood that the beams indicated in the various figuresmay be produced in any suitable manner; as for example by parabolic orother reflectors. In the case of beams produced by parabolic reflectorsthe rays are substantially parallel and produce a roundbeam. In thatcase, if the beams are of the same size, the region fixed about thepoints X or Y has a diameter equal to the diameter of either beam. Alsothe light sources such as 9, I0, 25, 26 and 21 may be substituted byreflectors such as H, l2 or l3 and the actual source may be elsewhere.

Two beams may of course be projected with their axes parallel. Forexample the axes may 75,.

be parallel to a third axis or line wbich may be formed by theintersection of two planes 8 and T perpendicular to each other. the axisof one beam being in one quadrant formed by the two planes and the axisof the other beam being in the quadrant diagonally opposite formed bythe same planes. Both axes of the beams will, in such a case, beparallel to both said planes. The two beams may now be made to convergetoward the plane S while still preserved parallel to plane T. This isthe situation indicated in Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 in which the axes crossbut do not intersect. But these beams, while thus converging on plane S,may be made to converge also on plane '1. This is the situation in Figs.1 and 3, in which case the axes of both beams intersect each other andmay do so at a point in the line' at the intersection of the two planes.In Fig. 3 this intersection of the two axes of the beams may beconsidered as the center of the region identified by the two beams.

Also it will be understood that my invention is not. restricted to anyone of the particular forms of apparatus or systems specificallyillustrated and described in the specification. and drawings or themethod carried out exactly as specified, inasmuch as I contemplatemodifications and variations of the invention within the spirit of theinvention and the scope of the claims contained herein.

I claim-- 1. In a device of the character described adapted to determinethe passage of an object through a predetermined point in space, thecombination with beam projecting means arranged to project a pluralityof separate beams in substantially diti'erent directions through a zoneabout said point and which said beams will be intercepted by said objectwhen positioned at said point. of beam responsive means positioned tointercept said beams after they pass said zone.

2. In a device of the character described adapted to determine thepassage of an object through a predetermined point in space, thecombination with beam projecting means arranged to project a pluralityof separate beams in substantially different directions through a zoneabout said point and which saidbeams will be intercepted by said objectwhen positioned substantially at said point, of beam-responsive meanspositioned to intercept said beams after they pass said zone, and meanscontrolled by said beam responsive means and actuated when all of saidbeams are intercepted by an object at said point.

3. In, a device of the character described adapted to determine thepassage or an object through a predetermined point in space, thecombination with beam projecting means arranged to project cross beamsof light through said point, of beam responsive means positioned tointercept said beams after they pass said point.

4. In a device of the character described adapted to determine thepassage of an object through a predetermined point in space, thecombination with beam projecting means arranged to project cross beamsof light through said point, of beam responsive means positioned tointercept said beams after they pass said point, and means controlled bysaid beam responsive means and actuatedwhen all said beams areintercepted at said point. p

5. In a device of the character described adapted to determine thepassage of an object through a predetermined zone in space, thecombination with beam projecting means arranged to project a pluralityof beams in substantially different directions through said zone; thoseportions of said beams within said zone being so correlated and directedthat the object in passing through said zone will intercept all of them;of beam responsive means positioned to intercept said beams after theypass said zone.

6. In a device of the character described adapted to determine thepassage of an object through a predetermined zone in space, thecombination with beam projecting means arranged to project a pluralityof beams in substantially different directions through said zone; thoseportions of said beams within said zone being so correlated and directedthat the object in passing through said zone will intercept all of them;of beam responsive means positioned to intercept said beams after they.pass said zone, and means controlled by said beam responsive means andactuated when all of said beams are intercepted in said zone.

combination with beam responsive means, of means for projecting at leasttwo separate beams on said beam responsive means; said projecting meansand said beam responsive means being spaced to provide a passagewaytherebetween, and being relatively positioned to provide a zone oflimited extent in said passageway in which the distance between saidbeams is substantially less than in any other zone of said passageway;whereby a total eclipse of said beam responsive means by the movementthrough said passageway of an object approximating in maximum size theminimum distance between said beams will definitely indicate that saidobject passed through said zone or limited extent.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination with beamresponsive means, of means spaced therefrom for projecting at least twobeams to said responsive means in directions which cross each otherwithin the space between said projecting and said responsive means;whereby the minimum distance between those portions of said beams insaid space lies in the zone of their crossing, and objects having amaximum dimension slightly exceeding said minimum distance and movingthrough said space will effect a total eclipse of said beam responsivemeans only when passing substantially through said zone.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination with beamresponsive means of means for projecting a plurality of beams fromdifferent points and in substantially different directions to saidresponsive means; said projecting and responsive means being so spacedand relatively disposed that the sphere of minimum size to which all ofsaid beams will be substantially tangent will be positioned in a. zonebetween said projecting and said responsive means; whereby all of saidbeams will be intercepted at the same instant by the passage of anobject between said projecting and said responsive means andapproximating said sphere in dimensions only when the passage thereof issubstantially through said zone.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination with beamresponsive means of means spaced therefrom for projecting at least twocross beams to said responsive means and which substantially intersectat a point within the space between said projecting and said responsivemeans; whereby small objects passin 7. In a. device of the characterdescribed, the

through said space and which intercept both beams at the same instantare definitely positioned as passing at or near the point of substantialintersection of said beams.

11. In a device of the character described 7 adapted to determine thepassage of an object of zone, and beam responsive means positioned atsaid focal point.

12. In a device of the character described adapted to determine thepassage of an object of substantially predetermined size through a zone'of limited extent in space, the combination with beam projecting meansarranged to project a plurality of beams in substantially differentdirections through said zone; said projecting means .being so positionedand directed that all of the beams therefrom will be intercepted by saidobject when in said zone; of means for bringing said beams to a commonfocal point after passing said zone, beam responsive means positioned atsaid common focal point, and means controlled by said beam responsivemeans and actuated when all of said beams are intercepted by an objectin said zone.

13. Those steps in the method of determining the passage of an objectthrough a precise point in space which comprises projecting a pluralityof beams of light in substantially different directions through a zoneabout said point so that all of said beams will be intercepted by saidobject when positioned at said point, and bringing all 'of said beams toa common focal point after they pass said zone.

14. Those steps in the method of determining the passage of an objectthrough a zone of limited extent in space which comprise projecting aplurality of beams of light through said zone in substantially difierentdirections but closely spaced in said zone whereby all oi. said beamswill be intercepted by said object but only when in said zone, andintercepting said beams after they pass said zone; whereby asimultaneous occultation of all of said beams where intercepted afterpassing said zone will definitely position said passing object as beingin said zone.

15. An indicating device comprising, means for projecting relativelycrossing beams of light for creating a combined active zone at said zoneof the crossing of the beams, electric energizers sensitive to lightrays and upon which said beams of light are directed, an indicator, andmeans actuated by said energizers for operating said indicator only whenan object is passed through said combined active zone.

16. An indicating device comprising, means for projecting relativelycrossing beams of radiant energy to create a combined active zone at thezone of their crossing energizers sensitive to said beams and mounted soas to be acted upon one by one beam and the other by the other beam, anindicator, and means actuated by said energizers for operating saidindicator only when an object is passed through said combined activezone.

17. In a device of the character described adapted to determine thepassage of an object through a predetermined zone in space, thecombination with means for projecting a plurality of relatively crossingbeams of radiant energy toward said zone and in such relative directionsthat said object in passing through said zone will pass through all ofsaid beams, beam-responsive means positioned to intercept said beamsafter they pass said zone, and means controlled by said responsive meansand actuated only when said object passes through all of said beams.

18. That step in the method oi. determining the passage 01' an objectthrough a predetermined zone in space which comprises projecting aplurality' of beams of radiant energy in directions so correlated toeach other that said object will pass through all of said beams'onlywhen said object passes through sald'zone; whereby the intersection ofall or said beams by said object will deflnitely indicate such passage.

ENRIQUE G. 'I'OUCEDA.

